“Lauren, you know I love you more than anything, more than anyone,” he says.
His voice steady, and I hear Raven sigh a few feet away from me. I giggle, but the weight of his words sends a warm rush over me.
“You’ve made me a better man,” he says a little more softly.
I wipe the tears from my eyes and resist the urge to hug him tightly. He steps closer to me and kisses away the tears on my cheeks. More swooning comes from the women in our audience, which includes Angela, Raven, Hillary, and Helen.
“I’ve never wanted anything more than our marriage, Lauren. You’re the one thing that belongs to me. The only pure thing I have is us. I used to have a different reason for being. It came from a dark place. My motivation changed when I fell in love with you. You’re my strength and my weakness. You’re the reason I fight to be here,” he says.
My face is now in his hands, and I can’t resist the urge to kiss him. I nearly jump into his arms. His lips welcome mine, and I rest in his embrace.
“I love you so much, Cal,” I say quietly when our lips have separated and only he can hear me.
I’m sure the pastor is shooting me a disapproving look for jumping the gun on the kiss, but I don’t care. Nothing has been traditional about us before, so why start now? As long as this ends with me being proclaimed Mrs. Lauren Scott, nothing else will matter—not his secrets, not his past. Every negative echo in my brain has melted away; it just doesn’t matter. Our love will overcome whatever issues we’ll face. I’m sure they’ll come up—every marriage has them—but when I see his gleaming gray eyes that sometimes reflect warm green shades, I know we’ll get through whatever life throws our way. He may not be perfect, but I think I just may have found my super-sexy, leather-jacket-wearing, motorcycle-riding Prince Charming of the twenty-first century.
March 7th 2013
March 7th, 2013
“Haaapppy biirthday tooo you, haapppy birthday too yooou. Happy birthday, dear Caylen. Haappy biirthdayy too youoooo,” Hillary sings.
The rest of us are doubled up, laughing at her dramatic, horrible, over-the-top singing.
“Screw you all. Caylen liked it, didn’t you, honey?” she says, pinching my little girl’s cheeks.
“Smile!” Angela says quickly, and a flash almost blinds me.
Of course Caylen immediately begins to cry.
“Angie!” Hillary scolds her.
“What? I’m sorry, baby. I just wanted a picture of your beautiful face,” Angela says, running her hands through Caylen’s coal-black hair.
“It’s okay, she’s sleepy anyway. You old people tired her out,” I joke, cradling her in my arms. “I’m going to put her to bed.”
“I’ll help you,” Helen says. She’s been quiet all night, which is unusual for her.
“Meanwhile, I’m going to steal a piece of this begging-me-to-eat-it cake,” Hillary says quickly.
I walk up the stairs, rubbing Caylen’s back—the only thing that quiets her down when she’s fighting sleep. Helen is quietly following me. I open the door to the nursery, which is painted all pink and has white furniture. Helen did a beautiful job decorating and supplying everything in the room. I still can’t believe how different the loft looks since Caylen was born. I look down at my little girl rubbing her eyes, and my heart melts. It is still amazing to me how much you can love a person who didn’t exist in your life for most of it. I hand her to Helen so I can grab a pair of her pajamas.
“She’s grown so much,” Helen says with a sigh.
“Yeah. She has.” I smile, taking off her T-shirt and putting on her pajamas.
“It seems like just yesterday she was in your stomach,” she teases.
“Yes, kicking her way out.” I giggle. I know why I slept so much in my early months—because I barely got any sleep in the later months of my pregnancy.
“And tomorrow, she’ll be a year old. She’s so beautiful, Lauren,” Helen says, admiring her again.
“Raven’s taking her to the zoo tomorrow, so she gets double the birthday fun.” I tickle Caylen before I finish putting on her clothes. I’m thankful she’s not putting up a fight like she usually does.
“You’re going to be a good girl and go to sleep for Mommy, right?” I ask, seeing her little mouth open for a yawn.
When I put her in her crib, she reaches out for me. I lay her back down, placing her blanket over her. I hold her hand until her eyes close.
“It’s amazing how much she looks like C—” Helen stops quickly and folds her hands as if she’s a kid who’s said a bad word.
“You know, you can say his name around me. I’m not going to shrivel up and die if you do,” I joke to lessen the tension in the room.
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Helen lies, picking up the stuffed bear Hillary bought Caylen for her birthday.
“Cal. You were going to say she looks just like Cal. You know, the thought has crossed my mind. I’m not blind.” Sharpness that I don’t intend is creeping into my voice.
Helen looks away uncomfortably.
I take a deep breath. “It’s almost been two years. You don’t have to walk on eggshells around me. You can say his name. I won’t die or start crying.”
I understood how weird it was for her to talk about him when he first left. I remember how angry I was the day after I found out I was pregnant with Caylen. I stormed straight into their mansion and demanded to know where Cal was, because if anyone knew, it was Dexter. He proceeded to say how he sympathized with my situation and how he and Helen would be there for me, but he had no idea where Cal was. After three private detectives came up with nothing on Cal and I was six months pregnant and desperate, I begged Dexter one last time to contact Cal for me. He looked in my face and told me he didn’t know where Cal was. It was the biggest lie he’s ever told. I didn’t speak to him or Helen again until after Caylen was born.
Helen came to the hospital with balloons, teddy bears, and dozens of roses. She practically outdid everyone at my baby shower. I couldn’t be mean to her after that. After all, I couldn’t blame her for the bond that Dexter and Cal had. I could be dying and Dexter wouldn’t tell me where Cal was if Cal asked him not to.
“I’m sorry, I never realized. Well, actually I did, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all that you’re going through, Lauren. If I—”
I cut her off. “Helen, you don’t have to apologize for anything. You’ve been wonderful to me and Caylen. I’m not angry with you. I don’t resent you. I’m not even upset with Dexter anymore. I’ve gotten past that. If he hasn’t told me where Cal is, it has to be because Cal doesn’t want him to. I’ve accepted that now. I can’t blame anyone else for his actions. You tell Dexter that for me. He can come to Caylen’s future birthdays or visit her when he wants. He doesn’t have to worry about me bombarding him with questions or going psycho on him.” I laugh slightly.
Helen smiles. “I’ll tell him that. He’s been dying to see her. I’m glad you’ve gotten over him.” She breathes a sigh of relief.
I look at her and roll my eyes. “Truthfully, I haven’t. I don’t know if I ever will, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to spend the rest of my life waiting around for him. He gave me the most wonderful gift he ever could have, and I’ll always be thankful for that. But I’ll never forgive him for not being a part of Caylen’s life.” I realize I sound more bitter than I intend to. I haven’t said his name since Caylen was born or talked to anyone about him. I guess I can’t help but be bitter.